Homebuilder posts 279 home sales in first quarter

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Homebuilder Neal Communities posted solid sales figures during the first quarter of 2019, with 279 sales in January through March.

It also had a record-breaking month with 124 new home sales in March company-wide, according to a press release. The Lakewood Ranch-based builder has 31 communities from Apollo Beach to Naples.

“After several months of steady sales, we experienced a marked increase in qualified sales traffic and homebuyers ready to move forward in March,” says Neal Communities President Michael Storey in the statement.

The company's luxury home division, Neal Signature Homes, sold 14 homes in the first quarter. More than half of those homes sold in March. In its south division, encompassing Lee and Collier counties, the builder sold 76 homes in the first three months of the year, the release adds.

In 2019, Neal Communities plans to unveil three new neighborhoods — Poinciana in Manatee County and Cielo and Vicenza in Sarasota County. Two more communities are expected to open in the first quarter of 2020. Neal Signature Homes' newest community, Aria, is expected to open in summer 2019.